Chapter 2 - Rhythm, Melody, Harmony
Representative Composer and works:
None: sound bites contained within power points
Scale
The arrangement of pitches within the octave that ascends and descends according to a fixed pattern of whole and half steps
staff
a horizontal grid from which musicians read the symbols of musical notation
chord progression
a purposeful movement of chords; ends with a cadence
Melody
a recognizable and memorable series of notes that form a cohesive musical line; the tune; consists of pitches combined with durations, can be staccato (detached) or legato (connected), conjunct (move by step) or disjunct (move by skip)
dissonance
adds tension and anxiety to the music, pitches are momentarily "disagreeable and unstable"
Ostinato
any element of music rhythm, melody, harmony that continually repeats
Meter
beats are gathered into regular groups, such as group of 2, 3, 4 beats, common meters are duple, triple, and quadruple
Grand (great) staff
includes both treble and bass cleff is used for two handed music with a large range
Chromatic scale
made up of twelve pitches all a half step apart, adds color and richness/intensity to a melody
resolution
moving from dissonance to a consonance
meter signature/time signature
numerical musical symbol; the top number tells the number of beats in each measure; the bottom number tells what kind of note gets the beat; normally occurs at the beginning of the score, but may change in the middle of a piece
Upbeat
occurs before the downbeat, usually only a note or two
Consonance
pitches that sound agreeable and stable
Syncopation
placing an accent on a weak beat or between the beats, prominent in Jazz
Accelerando
speeding up the tempo gradually
Rubato
subtle speeding up and slowing down of the beat
Treble Clef
symbol which indicates the range used for higher sounding instruments and female voices
Bass Clef
symbol which indicates the range used for lower sounding instruments and male voices
Tempo
term which means the speed at which beats progress
Triad
the basic chord of Western harmony, a unit of three or more pitches that sound at the same time; uses every other note of a scale, can be built on any note of a scale, labeled with Roman Numerals
interval
the distance between two pitches in music
Harmony
the element that adds depth and dimension to music as well as providing support and accompaniment to the melody; usually consists of chords: three or pitches sounding simultaneously
tonic
the name for the central pitch around which melodies gravitate and on which they generally end, the first and last pitch of a scale
Mode
the pattern of pitches determined by the whole and half steps that form a scale (major minor); major scale associated with joy, confidence, tranquility, minor scale associated with fear, anxiety, sorrow, and despair
Pitch
the relative position , high or low, of a musical sound, identified by letter names (A,B,C,D,E,F,G) based on vibrations per second (frequency) of sound waves
Modulation
the term describing the change in tonal center from key to another within a piece
Beat
the term for the even pulse that divides the passing of musical time into equal segments, often creates a physical response, can be strongly felt or barely perceptible
Downbeat
the term for the first beat in each metrical unit
Octave
the term for the interval that comprises the first and eighth tones of the major and minor scales, these tones are quite similar because the frequency of vibration of the higher pitch is exactly twice that of the lower
Cadence
the term that describes simultaneously the end of a chord progression as well as the conclusion of a musical phrase
Ritardando (Ritard)
the term that means to slow the tempo of the music gradually
rhythm
the term that refers to the organization of time in music; it is what gives shape to the pitches of the melody
Rest
the term used in music notation to indicated the absence of sound
Key/Tonality
two terms musicians use interchangeably when referring to the organization of music around a central pitch, describes the tonal center and tonic note for a piece